The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

           In the passage, "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury, I think there are various things preventing the protagonist, Joby, from reaching his, and the story's, resolution. Although his resolution is not exactly a perfect one, it is one that he must reach nonetheless. He must make it to a point where he is done being terrified or even bitter about the war to come. He must reach a point where he truly believes in himself, and can join in with the other soldier's "romantic dreams of battles yet unfought". 
          What I believe he has to overcome to get there is his sense of reality. He is so stuck in the real world, the world where he doesn't have a weapon and is younger than most of the other soldiers, that there is no way for him to see a possibly happy turn of events. Of course, the likelihood of a happy ending is not very good, but in order for there to be any possibility at all, he must believe that there is one.
          Another thing holding Joby back is his feeling of complete and utter isolation. As I stated before, because he is the drummer boy, he does not have a weapon, unlike the rest of the army. It is also suggested by the general that his reason for joining the army was to get away from home. This may be another thing making him feel alone, considering he never wanted to be at war in the first place. Sitting there pitying himself, he hasn't even considered that many of the soldiers may be feeling exactly as he is. It is always hard to grasp that other people can feel just how you do, and you are truly not alone. Joby just has to realize that they are all in the same situation, and that he should do whatever he can to help them get through this together.  

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

      For this book in particular I thought I would bring up the idea of dropping hints that end up transforming into more than they originally seemed. A hint that is continually shown (even in prior books in the series) is the idea that Harry is beginning to sense Voldemort's emotions. It starts innocently enough in the fourth book when Harry feels his scar hurt for no apparent reason and it worries him. This continuously happens up until the book that I am currently on in which after this has happened numerous times, he starts to be able to sense  the emotions coming from Voldemort that have caused this reaction in him. This is also not the end of this little part of the story as in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix it is still not explained what connection it is between Harry and Voldemort that allows him to feel all this.
      A factor in the story that is not exactly hint dropping but is related to something being more than it originally seemed (that is also connected to the way that the protagonist is affected to those around them) is the presence that the Dursley's have all throughout the series. While they are obviously there to show Harry's past and play a little part in the story, I think that they are also there to show the basic opposite of what Harry could have turned into, yet did not. They are the formation of his character, and Dudley is almost the definition of Harry's opposite. And yet they are still there to remind us in every book where he came from. In the Order of the Pheonix, Harry and Petunia share a moment in which you can truly see where he got some of the parts of himself from, when she shows a connection to the wizarding world and they have a combined moment of worrying over what is going to happen in the future. I also feel that Harry may have gotten his temper from Uncle Vernon, as that is Vernon's most prominent trait, and this is the book in which Harry's temper and rash actions really begins to play a part in the story.

Before I Fall

Before I Fall Reading Response

            Over the summer I read the incredible Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver. This book is about a teenager, Samantha Kingston who has the perfect life. She has popular friends, and her dream boyfriend. But a tragic car accident leads to her death. Samantha then has the chance to relive the same day over and over again until she finally finds the reason that she is stuck in a time loop. At the beginning of the book, I found it hard to believe that so many people were crazy about this novel. It seemed shallow and I even thought the whole idea of reliving the same day wasn't pulled off very well. What I began to appreciate was the strength of the main character as she goes from terrified and rebellious to finally being able to grasp what was going on and make the most of the time she has left. 

            One thing I admire about this book is that it reads almost like any other teen fiction book, with the high school drama and romance, while really, underneath it all, there is a different idea taking place. It faces the issue of bullying head on, even from the perspective of the bully. Samantha herself takes part in the bullying, though she is not the main antagonist. Before I Fall also gives a good perspective of how easy it is to be pulled into something so bad when showing how Samantha's friends can be terrible to the people around them. It also shows this issue lead to suicidal consequences in which Samantha eventually comes to terms with her and her friend's faults, and takes responsibility. 

         The book toys with the idea of fate when Samantha fixes the mistakes which led her to relive the day, and that puts an end to the day once and for all . Overall Samantha has a chance to see where she's gone wrong in her life and appreciate what she still has. She also sees some of the things and people she's been blind to for so long. These realizations lead to a great change in Samantha in which she matures a lot and becomes a better person. By the end of the book, though her friends are obviously flawed, she still  loves them for who they are, and because of that you, the reader, do too.